Requirements

How To Run and Save a Docker Container

1. In this example we will run and save an Ubuntu based Docker container where Nginx server will be installed. But before committing any changes to container, first start the container with the below command which installs Nginx daemon into Ubuntu image:

# docker run ubuntu bash -c "apt-get -y install nginx"

Install Nginx on Ubuntu Docker Container

2. Next, after Nginx package is installed, issue the command docker ps -l to get the ID or name of the running container.

# docker ps -l

Find Docker Container ID Name

And apply changes by running the below command:

# docker commit 5976e4ae287c ubuntu-nginx

Here, 5976e4ae287c represents the container ID and ubuntu-nginx represents the name of the newly image that has been saved with committed changes.

In order to view if the new image has been successfully created just run docker images command and a listing of all saved images will be shown.

# docker images

Docker Container Changes

Chances are that the installation process inside the container finishes fast which leads to a non-running container (container is stopped). In this case the docker ps command won’t show any output because no container is running.

In order to be able to still get the container’s id run docker ps -a | head -3 to output the most recent containers and identify the container based on the command issued to create the container and the exited status.

3. Alternatively, you can actively enter container session by running docker run -it ubuntu bash command and execute further apt-get install nginx command. While the command is running, detach from the container using Ctrl-p + Ctrl-q keys and the container will continue running even if the Nginx installation process finishes.

# docker run -it ubuntu bash
# apt-get install nginx

Install Nginx on Docker Container

Then, get the running container id with docker ps and commit changes. When finished, re-enter to container console using docker attach and type exit to stop container.

# docker ps
# docker attach 3378689f2069
# exit

Attach Docker Container

4. To further test if the recently image has been committed properly (in this case Nginx service has been installed), execute the below command in order to generate a new container which will output if Nginx binary was successfully installed:

# docker run ubuntu-nginx whereis nginx

Generate New Docker Container

5. To remove a container use the rm command against a container ID or name, which can be obtained using docker ps -a command:

# docker ps -a
# sudo docker rm 36488523933a

Remove Docker Container

How to Run Nginx inside Docker Container

6. In this part we will concentrate on how you can run and access a network service, such as a Nginx web server, inside Docker, using the ubuntu-nginx image created earlier where Nginx daemon was installed.

The first thing that you need to do is to create a new container, map host-container ports and enter container shell by issuing the below command:

# docker run -it -p 81:80 ubuntu-nginx /bin/bash
# nginx &

Here, the -p option exposes the host port to container port. While the host port can be arbitrary, with the condition that it should be available (no other host services should listen on it), the container port must be exactly the port that the inside daemon is listening to.

Be aware that using this kind of containers to run web servers or other kind of services are best suited only for development purposes or tests due to the fact that the services are only active while the container is running. Exiting the container disrupts all running services or any changes made.

The above error indicates that the repos (universe) inside the sources.list doesn’t have the required package (nginx) for the image ‘ubuntu’. Things will work If you try using the image ‘docker.io/nickistre/ubuntu-lamp‘, you will be able install the nginx daemon inside the container.